'Take care of my son''Take care of my son'
Broadway musical vs real lifeWhere do they meet?Stephen Sondheim is an obvious answer. But Michael Bennett's life and untimely death (in Tucson) bore more closely to my life, although we never met. A Chorus LinePicture it NYC 1975. To further my Too Gay musical theater interest, I ditched my Manhattan job one afternoon to take in another performance of A Chorus Line alone at a cheaper matinee at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. The audience was matinee-typical -- suburban middle class. I could feel from my balcony seat that this audience was not prepared. The performance went superbly (as you will recall without intermission). The audience tepidly applauded at appropriate times, but never enthusiastically. The Climax ApproachesSo I began to steel myself for the climactic Jewel Box monologue scene where character Paul San Marco (played by Sammy Williams) tells his story of growing up Too Gay. I was curious to see the audience reaction of a Gay story told with heart-wrenching theatricality. But I was also fearful because I knew I would have to applaud like a Too Gay theater diehard and stand up proudly to this suburban milieu. After all, I'd suffered through sidewalk harassment and had things thrown at me as a Too Gay man in Manhattan. The audience appeared stunned and remained totally silent at the end of the scene when the Director comes onstage and embraces Paul San Marco, Truly, I waited so I wouldn't be the first to applaud. I Kept ClappingBut, I had no choice. I could not let Sammy Williams' performance, and the emotional climax of the show, go without reaction. In that way that a stressful time seems interminable, I was too anxiety-ridden to look around me to see my seat mates' reaction. I only knew that I had to applaud. Too Gay and ProudFinally, the audience joined in. I could not let this audience escape a glorious Gay theater moment. I'm proud I helped make their theater experience real. Some more Hoofer anecdotesThe Album OmnipresentI was not plugged-in enough to get tickets to the downtown early-1975 run of A Chorus Line but attended Broadway performances several times with bells on. I recall that first summer the musical engulfed Broadway. Weekends, while walking down the boardwalk at The Pines, one could hear the album blaring through the hedges from practically every house. Michael Bennett and several cast members could be seen on the beach and boardwalk throughout the summer. With Mondays off, most Broadway performers trekked out late Saturday night to enjoy the weekend until Tuesday. Freezing in PlaceMy favorite obscure A Chorus Line road performance was in the early 90's at the outdoor park theater in San Diego. Lumbering jumbo jets roared overhead almost close enough to touch from your seat since the airport was only thousands of yards away. The Stage Director monitored these landings and used a stop light sort of system to freeze the performance while a plane was thundering overhead. It was A Chorus Line in tableau. RIP Chris ChadmanDancer, leading man and choreographer Chris Chadman was a pal in the mid 70's. He had recounted a story about realizing he was Gay during his participation in the workshops on which A Chorus Line is based. Parts of his own story were woven into the musical. I lost touch with Chris and was sorry to see him listed several years ago in an AIDS annual of Entertainment Weekly. |
A Chorus LineDelivered by character Paul San Marco (onstage) to the Director (offstage), the monologue climax:
Here's a link to a glorious tribute:
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©2000 Dan Farrell Davis